Over the past few months I haven't done much other than keep up with my assignments, work out, and read. I made the mistake of buying a Kobo ereader and the multitude of books that were immediately at my disposal following that purchase combined with the required reading and writing necessary not to flunk out of my program have left me with little time for anything else. Subsequently, I don't have a lot of thoughts to share. With this in mind, I've decided to default to everyone's favourite type of post... Book reviews!
I'll just briefly share my thoughts about three books that I've managed to work my way through in the past couple months.
1) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
This book profiles the interesting case of a woman named, as you might have already guessed, Henrietta Lacks. Mrs. Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the 1950's and passed away soon after. However, her doctor used the cells he collected from her tumour to create a human cell line that has proved to be immortal. The thing is, all cancer cells are immortal. What makes this case interesting is that the cell line created from Henrietta Lacks has proliferated in labs all over the world and has been used in basically any experiment the average person can name involving human cells. They have been sent to space, blown up in atomic bombs, been used to test cancer drugs, and about a million other things.
Now you might expect that the Lacks family would be happy that Henrietta's cells have been used to help so many people in so many ways, and you would be partially right... but not entirely. The issue is that Henrietta never gave consent for her cells to be used and her family have not been given any share of the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that the cell line has helped to create. This book is a great expose about the rights a person has to their tissues after they have been removed from their body. The discussion spans medical ethics, law, racial equality and a host of other topics that fuse together to make one hell of an interesting read. This book had me thinking about how much I can claim to own my own body for weeks after I finished reading it.
If you have any interest in science, biography, or medical history, check this one out. You won't regret it.
2) The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey
I had this book recommended to me by a former colleague some time ago and since that person's past recommendation has panned out so well up to this point I decided to add it to my Christmas list. I finally got around to reading it this month and, despite not being overly interested in the topic, I have to say I really enjoyed it. The book contains a profile of the current science of wave dynamics juxtaposed with the adventures of a gang of big wave tow surfers based in Hawaii.
Knowing nothing about big wave surfing going into the book, I was surprised at how engrossing the chapters that focused on it were. I fully expected that the storeys about monster swells and hanging ten were the parts that I would need to endure to get back to the science and was shocked to find the opposite. The research presented in the book is nothing really new or surprising. There are some interesting shipwreck stories, but overall I found myself just turning paged in the hope of getting back to the life or death quest to ride the world's biggest waves. The people profiled in the book don't fit the stereotype you would imagine of surf culture. They are relatable, respectable, down to earth, and intelligent.
Read this book for the adventure, not the science. You'll be youtubeing tow surfing in no time.
3) Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
Now, I know what you're thinking. Marley and Me is a Jennifer Aniston movie. Its a sappy, G-rated family movie about a dog. Its specifically engineered to make you cry. If you asked me for an opinion on this book three weeks ago I would have rolled my eyes and referred you to my mother for any informed comment... and I would have been missing out. My girlfriend and I ended up watching this on Netflix on a night when we just wanted some light-hearted movie to curl up on the couch and not get to involved with. The next night I bought the ebook and couldn't stop reading.
A word of warning, this book is exactly what you think it is and the movie even more so. At times it is corny. At times it is lame. But if you grew up with a dog, I dare you not to love it. John Grogan is a gifted storyteller who will keep you up far past your bedtime with his dog's antics. This book will chew you up, spit you out, and leave you a teary-eyed mess, but you'll want to read it again soon after. It's funny and sad and everything a book about a dog should be. I loved every page and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Of the three books outlined in this post, this was my favourite. It wasn't even close.
Anyway, glad to be back. This was fun. Enjoy the books. Talk to you soon.
Steve
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